JP2001340461A - Spiral balloon and production method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily produce a balloon which exhibits a free curvature at a low cost. SOLUTION: A long balloon having an almost orbicular cross section and whose both ends are cut is produced. A belt-shaped projecting part having a thicker thickness against general faces is arranged at least in either inside or outside of the balloon. There are two production methods therefor. The first method is to provide a recessed part for producing the above projecting part in a mold member for producing the long balloon, and impregnate the mold member into a resin agent for forming the long balloon. The second method is to provide a recessed part for producing the above projecting part in either one of a male mold and a female mold of the mold member for producing the long balloon, and inject a resin agent for forming the long balloon from the mold is which the recessed part is formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spiral balloon which can be easily formed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, balloons are spherical or cylindrical. By making the mold at the time of molding into a predetermined shape,
It is possible to give a curved shape change to a sphere or a cylinder, and a so-called heart-shaped or uneven balloon can be made.

[0003] By the way, balloon products expressing an arc, for example, products realizing a horseshoe shape (U shape) or a spiral shape,
Conventionally exists. For example, in-flight cushions and pillows widely known as portable goods for overseas travel are substantially U-shaped. In this method, a rubber-lined cloth is used to form a U-shape in advance, and when air is injected into the inside, the whole body expands in the same shape.

[0004] The same technique can be used to represent a spiral shape. In other words, from the beginning, a rubber-lined fabric material or a non-breathable resin film / metal-deposited film
If the shape is formed by means of sewing / adhesion / vapor deposition so as to form a letter shape or a spiral shape, the balloon is inflated as it is by gas injection, and a balloon of a predetermined shape having cushioning properties can be realized. It is technically easy and has less difficulty in realizing the shape.

[0005]

The problem is that the manufacturing cost of a gas-injected product that realizes a substantially U-shape, a substantially circular shape or a spiral shape is too high to be realized depending on the purpose of use.

[0006] Even if it is necessary to produce an arc-shaped, U-shaped, helical balloon or the like for a specific purpose, the conventional balloon technology uses a cloth material or a thin resin film lined with rubber from the beginning. This is because the cost and processing steps required for material procurement and processing, such as material cost, cutting cost, and sewing / adhesion cost, increase. Here, the “specific purpose” refers to, for example, balloon decoration at the time of an event, decoration of a product display, balloon toys, production of confectionery (especially ice confectionery) of a specific shape, cooking utensils, various uses. This means a wide range of application purposes, such as air springs and sections for creating street objects.

In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to manufacture a balloon having a free curvature more easily under low cost conditions.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a spiral balloon according to the present invention is based on the technical premise that a long balloon having a substantially circular cross section with both ends cut off is manufactured on a technical basis. At least one of the outer surface and the outer surface is provided with a band-shaped convex portion which is thicker than the general surface.

In some cases, the belt-shaped convex portions are continuously arranged in a spiral form from one end to the other end of the long balloon, and some of them are provided with straight portions. In this case, it is desirable that the protrusions have a constant thickness. The balloon according to the present invention may be provided with a bias in the thickness of the left and right cross sections, and may be linearly disposed from one end to the other end of the long balloon. These protrusions may be provided with unevenness in thickness at appropriate positions.

At the time of manufacture, a concave portion for forming the convex portion is provided in a mold material of the long balloon, and the mold material is immersed in a resin material for forming a balloon. A second method of manufacturing by providing a concave portion for forming a convex portion on at least one of the mold members of a long balloon made of a mold, and injecting a resin material for balloon molding from one end of the mold member. is there.

[0011]

The long balloon having a substantially circular cross section expands into a long cylindrical shape when air (gas) is injected. However,
If a thick convex portion is arranged in a band shape on the inner surface or the outer surface, the expansion direction is distorted due to the expansion and contraction resistance. As a result of this,
Although the balloon is in a slender state in the initial state (a state in which the air is removed), when the air (gas) is injected, the balloon expands while distorting in the expansion direction, and draws an arc. The balloon of the present invention is not limited to a three-dimensional spiral structure,
Balloons that describe free curvature on the same plane are not excluded (claim 1).

In order to make the balloon helical at the time of gas injection, it is preferable to form the convex portion into a continuous helical shape with a predetermined curvature. When the convex portion has a constant thickness and is a straight line, the balloon draws an arc on the same plane. It is also possible to combine a spiral with a curve on the same plane depending on the arrangement shape of the projections.

When the convex portion is formed in a spiral shape and the wall thickness is constant, a spiral balloon having a constant curvature and a rotating pitch can be produced. If the cross section of the convex portion has an uneven thickness in the left-right direction, the balloon draws a spiral shape even if the convex portion is provided linearly due to the difference in elasticity. Therefore, the arrangement pattern of the convex portions is not limited to the spiral shape, and may be linear.

If the thickness of the convex portion is changed and the thick portion and the thin portion (irregularities) are provided, the curvature particularly changes at that portion, so that a more flexible balloon design is possible. . For example, it is a representation of alphabetic characters.

The spiral balloon according to the present invention is formed with both ends cut off (claims 1 to 6).
This is to facilitate the formation of a long balloon.
At the time of use, one end may be air-tight (for example, tied up) and then injected with gas from the other end.
The inlet is tied up to prevent outflow of gas. Because it is a long balloon that draws a spiral in three dimensions, it does not look bad even if the closed part remains at both ends, and there is no strangeness in the design.

[0016] There is no balloon molding for cutting both ends. This is because conventional balloons are always formed in a bag shape. However, when making a long spiral balloon with a large number of revolutions, if it is made into a bag shape, the immersion method has a problem that the molding cost is expensive and the extrusion method (high-pressure injection method) is technically difficult to realize. The reason is as follows.

In the immersion method, since it is necessary to form an opening at one end of the balloon, the mold is immersed in the vertical direction so that the opening is not immersed in the resin agent. However, in order to vertically immerse a long (for example, 5 m or longer) balloon material in a vertical direction, factory equipment having a high ceiling including a lifting device is required, and it is impossible to produce a low-cost balloon. . On the other hand, if the molding is performed by cutting off both end portions, it is possible to lay the mold material sideways and immerse the whole in the resin agent, so that the equipment cost and the amount of resin used can be significantly reduced (claim 7). This is because both ends may be finally cut and shipped, so that there is no problem even if the entire mold is immersed.

Further, since the conventional balloon is formed in a bag shape,
Molding by pressure injection (extrusion method) is practically difficult. This is because one end is sealed and the raw material resin cannot be injected at a high pressure from the other end. However, in the case of balloon molding in which both ends are cut off, even if the resin material is injected under high pressure from one end, the other end is open, so that the penetration of the resin material is not hindered,
The balloon can be formed into any long product (claim 8).

The term "long" of a long balloon referred to in the present specification means that the balloon has a sufficient length in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal sectional dimension of the balloon, and the dimensional ratio is important. That is, it is not the magnitude of the absolute value of the dimension (length). For example, if the vertical cross-sectional dimension (vertical cross-section) is 3 mm and the length from the base end (gas inlet) to the front end is 10 mm, it can be said that it is a long balloon. This is because they draw an arc in proportion. On the other hand, for example, the vertical cross-sectional dimension (vertical cross-section) is 4 cm.
If the length from the proximal end (gas inlet) to the distal end is 5 cm, it cannot be said to be a long balloon. This is because it is impossible to draw a certain arc visibly. In short, it is desirable that the balloon has a length of about 1: 2 or more in a dimension ratio of the longitudinal section direction to the length, and if so, at least an arc-like shape,
A U-shaped shape can be realized. Also, depending on the curvature, a balloon having a length ratio of about 1: 3 or more in a longitudinal sectional direction and a length ratio is at least circular, and a balloon having a length of 1; 4 or more may draw a spiral. I can do it. Naturally, the longer the balloon is, the higher the number of revolutions of the spiral is.

The curvature of the balloon depends on the thickness of the band-shaped projection formed inside or outside the balloon, or the elastic modulus of the thin sheet. When the wall thickness is thin or the expansion ratio of the thin sheet is high, the curvature becomes gentle, and the number of spiral turns is reduced even for balloons having the same vertical cross-sectional dimension and length.

For this reason, it is possible to make the curvature of the upper end and the base end of the balloon higher than that of other general parts, and to keep the upper end and the base end substantially horizontal. This shape is almost the same as that of a mechanical spring, and can be used when it is necessary to achieve vertical stability, such as a cushion material for a simple seat. In that case, in order to increase the curvature of the upper end portion and the base end portion, the thickness of the rubber material is designed to be large at the upper end portion and the lower end portion, or a thin sheet having a property of being less likely to expand and contract with other general portions. Distribute. For example, a resin tape is used for an intermediate general portion, and a metal sheet is disposed at upper and lower ends.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 2 illustrates the shape of a mold for producing a spiral balloon according to the present invention.
The mold 10 has a recess 12 formed on the surface of a mold body 11 which is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by using a material such as resin, metal, and wood. The concave portion 12 is a continuous groove having a spiral shape as a whole, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section, for example, as shown in FIG. The recess 12 may be formed by, for example, sliding the cutting tool at a predetermined speed in the longitudinal direction while rotating the mold body 11. Of course, the same result can be obtained by sliding the mold body 11 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, balloon molding is performed by immersing the mold material 10 in a raw resin liquid 18. Subsequent processing is the same as that of normal balloon production. After immersion, the resin layer on the surface is cooled, and then the balloon (resin layer) 20 is peeled off from the mold 10 by forced blast W as shown in FIG. The difference from normal balloon molding is that the mold material 10 may be immersed in the lateral direction to form a long balloon.

Conventional balloons often have a substantially constant size, and even a fairly large balloon has few vertical dimensions, for example, exceeding 5 m. However, the spiral balloon is often used when the length of the mold member 10 exceeds 5 m. In this case, it is assumed that it is difficult to immerse the spiral material in the raw material resin disposed below the upper end of the mold member 10. This is because the ceiling height and the suspension equipment of the factory become large. However, if the balloon is manufactured by cutting both ends, the mold member 10 may be immersed in the lateral direction, and after peeling, the balloon 20 may be cut at an appropriate position. It is not necessary, and the production becomes extremely easy.

The balloon 20 thus obtained has a convex portion 22 formed on the inner surface according to the shape of the concave portion 12 (FIG. 6). The protrusion 22 has a substantially constant thickness at the left and right ends and a substantially constant thickness at the center.
Draws a substantially constant and stable spiral shape according to the resistance of the convex portion 22 when it expands.

The recess 12 formed in the mold body 11 may have a groove depth of about 1 to 5 mm. The balloon 20 can be easily inflated if the convex portion has such a thickness. However, when the length of the balloon exceeds 5 m, for example, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the general portion of the balloon by immersing the balloon a plurality of times, and at the same time, to increase the thickness of the convex portion 22 accordingly. May occur. For example, in the case of a 5 m balloon, the thickness of the convex portion is set to 10 mm. However, since these values vary depending on the properties and physical properties of the raw material resin liquid 18, it is desirable to appropriately change the design.

In the spiral balloon according to the present invention, a rubber band may be wound and fixed on the surface of the mold member 10 in advance, and the mold member 10 may be immersed in the raw resin liquid 18 to form the balloon 20. Unlike the case where the concave portion 12 is formed in the mold member 10, there is an advantage that various spiral shapes can be realized while using the same mold member 10. In addition, since various balloon shapes can be arbitrarily formed in a short time and the design can be easily changed, the production speed can be reliably improved in a commercial display, a balloon decoration competition, and the like.

Incidentally, the spiral balloon according to the present invention comprises:
Not only conventional immersion method but also extrusion method and injection method
A method of producing a long cylindrical resin product (rubber hose, etc.) can be adopted. The terminal of the balloon 20 may be opened for molding by the double cutting method. Therefore, at the time of production, basically, a mold material substantially similar to a molded product such as a rubber hose or the like is used, and the raw material resin can be injected under pressure from one end. Of course, a concave portion for forming a convex portion is formed in the mold material. The concave portion may be formed on a male or female mold. This is because the manufactured balloon draws a spiral or a coplanar curve without changing the result of forming the convex portion.

Further, the balloon 20 manufactured as described above is used.
Is extremely low in manufacturing cost and can be used for various applications. For example, materials for balloon art competitions, balloon decoration materials for department store windows, toys, etc. are widely used mainly as materials for aesthetic use, and the balloon itself is used as a material for forming a molded product. For example, sherbet mold, jelly food mold, art object mold, and the like.

As a technique for separating rubber and ice which are considered difficult to separate, for example, a stripping technique based on a crystalline substance / a water-absorbing substance acting as a cryogen is known (for example, JP-A-09-2).
No. 03003), the use of such a technique makes it possible to produce ice confections having a unique spiral shape at low cost. The jelly product filled inside the balloon is easy to peel off,
Jelly products have a risk of self-weight collapse, so devising hardness,
New creative expression is possible by reducing the number of spiral turns.

When a balloon which is curved at a free curvature is filled with cement and cured, and the film (balloon) is removed, a horseshoe-type, U-shaped, arc-shaped or spiral concrete object can be easily obtained. Given the difficulties of conventional molding, freedom of expression can be more easily obtained, including failure in curvature expression. In the case of the molding of a work of art, it is desirable to use a thin seal so that unnecessary irregularities are not formed on the surface.
Conversely, a spiral balloon is immersed in, for example, water, cement, jelly raw material, transparent resin liquid, etc., and after curing (after solidification)
Removing the spiral balloon (which may be ruptured) creates a spiral or coplanar cavity inside. In this case, it is possible to visually produce new crafts and products at low cost, for example, by causing a fluid to flow in the cavity.

The helical balloon also functions as a shock absorber in the vertical and horizontal directions. For example, FIG.
A cushion material for a chair as shown in FIG. Numeral 40 denotes a spiral balloon, and numeral 41 denotes a cylindrical cap with no bottom and a lid. The cap 41 may be made of a non-transparent material (wood / metal / resin), but a transparent material such as a transparent acrylic material is used to show the cushion material (40) inside, so that the principle of the cushion can be visually recognized from the outside. It is desirable.

The balloon according to the present invention is not limited in size, and can be applied to a smaller site, for example, a surgical assisting tool. Also, due to the characteristic of drawing a spiral,
It can also be used as massage equipment.

Conventionally, a massage device using air pressure covers, for example, the entire arm or calf, and repeatedly expands and contracts using an air pump or the like. However, the decisive difference between the massage effect by air pressure and the massage effect by a human is whether fat / cell tissue other than the pressed part is freely released and escaped in response to an external force (press). In the conventional device that wraps the entire arm and calf and applies external force by air, there is no escape of muscles / fat / blood as a result of pressing the entire body, and a phenomenon such as increased fatigue due to long-term treatment has been observed. On the other hand, according to the spiral balloon according to the present invention, the air cushion can be surrounded by a spiral depending on a part such as an arm, a calf, an upper body, a thigh, and the like, and a strong and weak motion of pressing by an interlock of an air pump is possible. Spiral cushions have gaps at a constant pitch, unlike conventional whole-environment air pressure materials, so that even when pressure is applied, muscle / fat has ample escape and does not interfere with blood circulation. .

That is, when the spiral balloon according to the present invention is used, a favorable effect close to a human finger pressure / massage effect can be obtained as compared with a conventional air pressure device that evenly presses the entire massage site.

In the case where a spiral tube-shaped product is produced using the spiral balloon according to the present invention as a mold, when a fluid (water, antifreeze, blood, sand, etc.) is assumed to flow inside the product, The projection of the spiral balloon is desirably formed inside the balloon. This is because no uneven step is formed on the inner surface of the manufactured product. Whether the convex portion of the spiral balloon is provided on the inner surface or the outer surface of the balloon depends on how the spiral balloon is used. If the balloon itself is used as an object, it is better to provide the convex portion on the inner surface of the balloon. Conversely, when it is desirable to form a convex portion on the outside of the balloon, for example, the inside of the balloon is filled with a substance to be solidified (for example, water, cement, jelly raw material, resin solution) and solidified, and the balloon is later removed. There are cases. This is so as not to leave irregularities on the surface of the resulting product.

[0037]

As described above, according to the spiral balloon, a balloon having a free curvature can be easily manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating a balloon having a small curvature according to the present invention. (B) is a diagram illustrating a balloon having a large curvature according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a spiral balloon according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a spiral balloon according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the production of a balloon by an immersion method.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of peeling a balloon.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a convex portion of the spiral balloon according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an application example of a spiral balloon according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mold material 11 Mold material main body 12 Concave part 18 Raw material resin liquid 20 Balloon 22 Convex part 30, 40 Spiral balloon 41 Cap

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C150 BA06 CA26 CA30 DA18 DE02 DE03 EB02 EB19

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A long balloon having a substantially circular cross section with both ends cut off, wherein at least one of an inner surface and an outer surface of the balloon is provided with a band-shaped convex portion which is thicker than a general surface. Spiral balloon characterized by the following. 2. The spiral balloon according to claim 1, wherein the belt-shaped convex portions are continuously arranged in a spiral form from one end to the other end of the long balloon. 3. The spiral balloon according to claim 2, wherein the band-shaped convex portion has a straight portion at a part thereof. 4. The spiral balloon according to claim 1, wherein the projection has a constant thickness. 5. The belt-shaped convex portion according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the cross-sectional portion is deviated left and right, and is arranged linearly from an appropriate one end to the other end of the long balloon. Spiral balloon. 6. The spiral balloon according to claim 1, wherein the projections are provided with irregularities in thickness at appropriate positions. 7. The elongated balloon is provided by forming a concave portion for forming the convex portion on the mold member, and immersing the mold member in a balloon molding resin. A method for producing the spiral balloon described above. 8. A concave portion for forming the convex portion is provided on at least one of the male and female long balloon mold members, and a balloon molding resin agent is applied from one end of the mold member. The method for producing a spiral balloon according to claim 1, wherein the spiral balloon is produced by injection.